There’s no meat left on that bone. There isn’t even a bone left. There’s only a debt-ridden mirage of a bone. If you’re looking to define the country in bumper-sticker terms, that’s it. A debt-ridden mirage. Which can only wait until it’s relieved of its suffering. Irma may well do that….

We can go on listing all the reasons why, but fact is America is in no position to rebuild. Which is a direct consequence of the fact that the entire nation has been built on credit for decades now. Which in turn makes it extremely vulnerable and fragile. Please do understand that mechanism. Every single inch of the country is in debt. America has been able to build on debt, but it can’t rebuild on it too, precisely because of that.

Yesterday, Jay asked a brilliant question in response to my post regarding Monday. “Do you think it might have something to do with 9/11?” Granted, it’s almost funny on the surface, since this coming Monday is another 9/11. But he provoked something in my soul that I didn’t know was there. It’s a mighty gift of God to ask the right question and awaken things like that. We learn what’s in our convictions by making queries like that. I’m rewriting my response to him into the rest of this post.

I suppose there may be a connection in the sense that 9/11 was another huge turning point loaded with deception on multiple levels, with multiple human motives and purposes. But I don’t think my prophetic gift works like that. It’s limited to the kind of knowledge that is directly related to calling and mission. I’m allowed to see only as much as I can use. The repercussions of 9/11 were instructive; it helped shake me loose from a lot of lies. It’s not a question of who actually did it, or how and why the Twin Towers fell, but that our government has consistently lied about it. That didn’t really do much to help me along the path I was on at the time, leading to where I am today. To me, the whole issue of 9/11 has become a rather minor footnote, more proof of what we already knew.

What we see coming this Monday has more to do with God’s hand bringing direct wrath, and it’s much more than hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and other “acts of God.” It’s part of the really big puzzle of how God intends to bring the system down. There’s no way I could summarize it, even if I knew all the details now. As it is, I don’t know too many details, but I can see large generalities that aren’t obvious to a lot of people. And each event seems to play into that pattern, revealing more detail, the sequence in particular. This isn’t so much about what government officials are doing. I’m surprised by the way things are going in Washington; Trump is full of surprises. But his twists and turns don’t change the broad pattern I see, just his role within the inevitable collapse. If not him, then someone else would do those things.

Right now, I’m very much on edge about economics. That’s why I suggested at first it might have something to do with banks. But now it seems to be a follow-on to something else: America as a whole (government, business and individuals) is too deep in debt and has no resources left for disaster recovery. These things are adding a sudden, massive burden on a very bad situation already. I believe God intends to push things over the edge, but I don’t know exactly what. All I know is that things will be rough for everyone for a month or so. After that, we’ll all be in a different situation with concerns and priorities that are unknowable or unimaginable to us now.

Thus, I’ve been stocking up on certain kinds of consumable products. Not in the sense of some prepper expecting to survive totally from my own pantry stock, but what I’m collecting will reduce the distraction of worrying about a tight supply. For example: Yesterday I felt the urge to ride my bike a few miles to a shopping area. I was hoping to make one last try for something that was frankly frivolous; that was my conscious motive. On the way, I got a strong impression to check some other shop first, just to see what was there. I found something wholly unexpected on sale — a food supplement I use. Meanwhile, the other item I was hoping to find was not available at the store I first intended to visit. I’m convinced God was leading me through that process to set aside something I would use that may be hard to get sometime soon.

I’m expecting some kind of economic shock. Not a collapse of everything, but the kind of thing that clobbers some consumer outlets and not others. The supply chain will be rearranged, as well. It won’t be the same for everyone everywhere, so I’ve consistently encouraged you, dear Readers, to pray and listen to your own hearts, because I’m convinced God will guide you that way. He’s prepared the means to care for each of us, in the sense that we will all have what we need to serve His glory. But that provision comes only if we stay heart-led, driven by conviction. You need to know what God wants from you and for you, individually in the context where you live. It’s obvious this will spill over into other countries.